Riley Wilderness Youth Camp Opportunities for Scholarships

lschultz • March 1, 2019

As March begins, it is most definitely time to start thinking about getting your son or daughter registered to attend the Michigan Out-of-Doors Youth Camp. Registration has been open for about a month now. If your son or daughter is new to getting outdoors or has little experience in hunting and conservation, we have the perfect opportunity for them. Come join us for a week of Riley Wilderness Youth Camp.

Photo from 2015 when Mr. George Riley visited the camp to have the lodge named in his honor

At the Riley Wilderness Youth Camp hosted by the Michigan Out-of-Doors Youth Camp in Chelsea, MI and sponsored by SCI-Novi with generous support from the Riley Foundation, children are given the opportunity to learn more about hunting, conservation and even get their hunter safety certificates. For six days and five night’s children ages, 9-14 are given the opportunity to leave their cell phones, tablets and other electronics at home and spend time learning about the environment around them. During their week at camp, youth will increase their knowledge of ecological concepts and broaden their awareness of conservation issues through hands-on nature experience. The campers spend the week living in cabins on a property that consists of 230 acres of white pine forest, bordered on one side by a bog and on another by the waterfront of Cedar Lake.

The goal of the Riley Wilderness Youth Camp is to provide the opportunity for 80 boys and girls to connect with nature and to learn about hunting and conservation. Since 2005, when the Michigan Out-of-Doors Youth Camp, SCI-Novi, and the Riley Foundation began their partnership the Riley Wilderness Youth Camp has sent over 800 kids to the camp. Last year more than 70 of the campers got Hunter Safety certified through this program.
The youth are provided a full scholarship to attend one of two sessions of camp depending on age and interest. The Riley Jr. camp is for boys and girls ages 9-11 and focuses on a sampling of outdoor activities, ranging from archery, and canoeing to fishing and hunter safety class. The other camp option is the Riley Advanced Camp for boys and girls age 12-14. This camp is focused on the skills and techniques of big game hunting as well as wildlife conservation. Youth in the advanced camp will also have the opportunity to become hunter safety certified and will spend time shooting trap and on the 3D archery course during their week at camp.

These scholarships are available to youth who are interested in connecting and learning more about the outdoors and all are encouraged to apply. The candidates who most qualify for the award will meet the following criteria: 1. Youth with limited outdoor experience, 2. Lack of a mentor to help them get started and learn about the outdoors, 3. Not yet having earned a Michigan Hunter Safety Certificate, and 4. Lack of family financial resources to attend a camp like a program.

Please visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScCpD07XbzA0l4dODHtr5A_SWXJQsAcswfjsS5sWSr4tc1qxw/viewform

More information on the camp can be found at www.mucccamp.org.

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